


New Year's Kiss

by BornToLose



Category: Bohemian Rhapsody (Movie 2018) Actor RPF
Genre: Fluff, M/M, Mild Language, New Year's Kiss
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-12-30
Updated: 2019-12-30
Packaged: 2021-02-27 16:13:37
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,114
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/22039864
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/BornToLose/pseuds/BornToLose
Summary: Nearing the end of the year, Joe and Ben think about making their relationship public.
Relationships: Ben Hardy/Joe Mazzello
Comments: 14
Kudos: 40
Collections: Hardzzello Week 2019





	New Year's Kiss

**Author's Note:**

> It's already Tuesday here, but in other time zones I'm still in time for day one of Hardzzello week! I hope I get to write something for day three or four too xx

"Hey Ben?" Joe asked softly as he made himself comfortable on the sofa next to his boyfriend.

The younger man bent forward to put the bowl of popcorn on the coffee table and looked down at Joe's head in his lap, brushing some hair out of his face. "Yeah?"

"Don't you think we should make our relationship public?" This was a bold question. Especially since they'd been joking about dating on social media for over a year now and everyone thought they were just friends who were fooling around - well, maybe not everyone, seeing as the number of Hardzzello fanfictions on various platforms had increased since they'd started the saga.

Ben stopped clicking through the thriller section on Netflix and went silent. As much as he wanted to, he couldn't just agree to make it public without discussing potential risks.

Of course, he would be happy if they could just live in a relationship without having to hide anything, but coming out was connected to a lot of worries. Would it hurt their careers? Would their reputation suffer? It would definitely be interesting for paparazzi and the press. They could possibly not leave the house without being asked about it. Would it be some kind of scandal? But the thing he feared the most - and he was sure Joe did as well - was that it would probably have an impact on their relationship. Could it lead to an eventual breakup if everything got too much? He didn't even want to think of it! Now he really knew what the struggles of being famous were…

Joe nervously bit his lip. "Ben?"

"Do you think that's a good idea?" His heart was racing at all the thoughts he was having - both, negative and positive.

"It just…" He sat up straight, running a hand through his hair. "It kills me to know that everybody thinks we're pretending to be dating when we actually are dating. There are people who ship us and support the whole cause, but then there are people who accuse me of queerbaiting and I'm sick of this shit. They call me homophobic and well," he let out a breathy chuckle. "You know I'm really not."

Ben smiled a bit sadly. He knew the stories. Joe would regularly tell him about it and ask for cuddle sessions when he got particularly hurtful messages.

Joe continued, "We can't even go out and show actual affection in public! And that's what really I hate. I just want to be able to hold hands with you as we walk around town or have an arm around you when we sit on a park bench. Or kiss your cheek in a quiet corner on the subway. God, if you knew how many times I'd do that if I could…" He swallowed, trying to blink back the tears. The whole situation was eating him up inside. Maybe he couldn't handle it as well as Ben, but he didn't want to have to keep their relationship a secret forever.

Ben scooted over to him and wiped his tears away before pulling him closer. "I feel the same, but… I'm worried about things. I don't want our relationship to suffer if we make it official." In that moment, he didn't care about his career; he could certainly get another job, but he couldn't get another man like Joe.

The older man pulled away, shaking his head. "It won't suffer. We can work this out together."

"You won't break up with me when everything gets too much?" His voice was hopeful and his eyes were wide like a puppy's. He looked like he'd be falling apart if there was even the slightest hint of this scenario happening.

"No, never. I love you more than anything and I won't let some fucking haters ruin this for us," Joe assured him without hesitation.

Ben nodded in understanding, clearly relieved, and chewed on his bottom lip. "So… are we going to make it public?"

"Only if you're okay with it, of course! I don't want to pressure you into anything."

"Agreed." The blond smiled and pulled his boyfriend in for a gentle kiss. "But how are we gonna tell them?"

Joe grinned and pecked his lips before starting the movie. "Don't worry, I've got something in mind."

* * *

On New Year's Eve, the time had finally come. The couple was celebrating in London together with Gwilym and his fiancée. Now they were all sitting in Potters Fields Park and drinking champagne as Joe and Ben picked an image to post on Instagram. They had explicitly requested the photo to be cheesy and Gwil didn't disappoint as he took a few pictures of them kissing in front of the fireworks right after midnight.

"This one?" Joe swiped right to the next picture, smiling at Ben.

"No, the angle in the one before is a bit better ."

They still couldn't believe they were doing this. Sure, they'd made some funny posts before that prompted their followers to make assumptions, but actually coming out to everybody online and telling them they were a real couple was on a whole other level. Hell, they were going to post a photo of them obviously _kissing_. This couldn't be taken as a joke anymore, honestly.

"What are you going to write under it?" Ben asked, resting his chin on his boyfriend's shoulder.

Joe didn't reply, he just started typing, a wide grin on his face. He didn't want to write a corny text because he knew Ben would already do that.

_"Dumped Cardboard Ben for this guy. Happy New Year everyone!_

_Photo cred @mrgwilymlee"_

He turned his head to ask him for permission to keep the caption and received a nod. The moment he posted it and it showed up right on the top of his feed, panic rushed through him for a split second, soon followed by relief. Ben immediately took his phone out and liked it before pressing a kiss to Joe's jaw. The older man pulled him closer as they waited for reactions - which didn't take too long.

It seemed like the post was going kind of viral. Almost everyone who clicked the like button commented as well. _"Are you joking??"_ and _"Congrats omg!!!"_ made up the majority of the comments section. And of course, there was the classic: _"We been knew"_. A lot of girls also seemed to be heartbroken, but all in all, they were still happy for the two.

"See? It wasn't that bad, was it?" The ginger smiled, putting the phone away and wrapping an arm around Ben's shoulder.

He shook his head and interlaced his fingers with Joe's, watching the fireworks. "Not at all."


End file.
